Handles for ice cream, apples and other fruit, and corn cobs have been made of wood. Wooden handles have presented a problem of possible injury to children due to the rigidity and splintering qualities of the sticks used.
Safety handles made of coiled paper have been used successfully for this purpose since they do not splinter and, in case of a fall, they are pliable enought to bend rather than cause abrasions or cuts to any part of the user's body. Handles made of coiled paper have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,591 issued Jan. 28, 1975, assigned to the same assignee as this application.
Since the handles are made pliable for safety reasons, there is a problem of inserting the handles into certain types of food. Apples, pears, and the ends of corn cobs are generally soft enough to accept a handle made of paper but there is a chance of bending during insertion and, for the sake of uniformity, and to insure proper depth of insertion, an assembly device is used. The coiled paper handles are supported by a cylindrical jacket during the insertion operation so that bending or buckling cannot occur.
One of the features of the invention is the speed and convenience with which the handles can be inserted into the food.
Another feature of the invention is the ability of an operator to insert a handle into an apple or a corn cob using only one hand in the process.
Another feature of the invention is the uniformity of the finished product. The handle is inserted into the food a predetermined distance each time.
Additional details of the invention will be disclosed in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.